New Challenge ahead

Hi All

It has been a while since my last blog and well a lot has changed.  I am now back in the UK and living and working in London as an account executive in an advertising company called AML Communications in Farringdon.  I 'fell into' this job through a friend and started on reception desk before moving upstairs to account management.  While it's only been a short while so far so good and I really enjoy my job!

Never happy just sitting by doing nothing I started cycling to work because I'm not a massive fan of the morning crush on the underground which fellow Londoners will know is soul destroying.  So instead I bought a very cheap/old pink road bike to get me to and from work and I love it! the morning cycle wakes me up, stretches the legs and gets me pumped up for the day ahead!!

And then along came an email from a good family friend asking whether I would like to participate in a 100km/60 mile charity night cycle around London.  And of course I thought - 'great! why not!' - So here I am - with a rather old rusty pink bike with no gears preparing to cycle 100 km through the night for charity!! The big day is on the 7th June - so just a few months to prepare!!

The event - http://www.nightrider.org.uk/Nightrider__London.htm

The charity I am raising money for has a close connection to my family friend who sent the first email to me. The charity Lt Dougie Dalzell MC Memorial Trust supports active and retired servicemen and women in a great many different capacities. As many of my friends are now in the Armed forces/about to go on their first tour this charity holds personal significance for me. I think that this charity has so much to offer in terms of support for the Armed forces and is a very worthy cause.  I have a very deep respect for anyone who chooses to serve their country in the armed forces and strongly believe that these people should be supported whether that be financially, emotionally or in a social capacity.   Here is quick description of the charity -

Lt Dougie Dalzell MC Memorial Trust -http://www.dougiedalzellmemorialtrust.co.uk/

The DDMT supports all active and retired servicemen and women and their families through a variety of grants and also through the provision of facilities, equipment and services for training and education.

As a small and family led charity, our focus is on supporting individual beneficiaries and spending the funds we raise quickly. However, we also back wider projects with a broader welfare reach such as our Soldiers in Mind initiative which provides mental health support service for military personnel and their families who prefer to access help outside of military circles.

We would like our donors and potential donors to see exactly where their money is going.  Please see below for some of the projects and individuals with whom we have helped/been involved with so far.

So please dig deep and please sponsor me for this event -  http://www.justgiving.com/Jessica-Over1   

Thank you! Jess

I'm coming home!

Hi Everyone,

Now there's a post title you thought you would never see! But it's true. flight all booked arrival date all set. I will have been away for around 15 months which is a little while but have made the decision that while travelling has been the best thing and living and working in Australia has been a lot of fun its time to come home and start a career!

So on then 23rd Nov I'm flying to Singapore and onto Hong Kong then home to the UK.

So I  thought I would share with you some of the highlights from the last year and a bit in a photo montage! Who doesn't like a good pic?

Taking the ferry in Chile with Eva (Oct 2012)



First hike of the trip in South Chile (Oct 2012)

 

Amazing views over Atacama desert (Nov 2012)



Salta crew (Nov 2012)



Ruben & Gary at Lake Titicaca (Nov 2012)



Best mountain climb ever! La Paz 6,008m, (Dec 2012)

Me and friend Neil - mountain climbing retro style! (Dec 2012)



Us and Marie at the Salt Flats, Bolivia (Nov 2012)



Beautiful Machu Picchu (Dec 2012)

Me and Heather - NYs in Lima, Peru



Eating up Hollywood! (Jan 2013)



Vegas baby! (Jan 2013)

Me and Viki getting ready in for a night out in Vegas! (jan 2013)



NZ with family - Jules, Peter & Lily (Jan 2013)

Skydive!!!

Beautiful landscape in Abel Tasman National Park (Jan 2013)

Heaphy track- looking rather sweaty! (jan 2013)

Kepler track - Jan 2013

Ben Lomond Queenstown- Feb 2013



Mueller Hut - Feb 2013



Vinny, Matt, Theus (left to right) March 2013



The route



Beautiful Sydney - March 2013



Ma's visit to watch AFL game- June 2013



Sydney at its best - Ma looking gorgeous - June 2013



Work friends from Hays (Natalie, Lauren, me and Samantha) - Sept 2013



Sydney Housemates - Bellevue girls - Sept 2013





Red Centre with Da - Sept 2013



Uluru- Sept 2013



Dingo on Fraser Island - Oct 2013

Me and Rebecca checking out Australia Zoo - Oct 2013



New pet??



Fun nights out in Byron Bay with Nicole (she is left of me)- Oct 2013

Me and Sophie Robertson - Melbourne - Nov 2013

So I hope that gives you a flavour and I hope I got everyone in that I met travelling- Sorry if your not in these pics - I do have a picture of you and I haven't forgotten you!

So will you all your UK lot very soon!

Jess xxxx

 

East coast

the first few days of travelling again was a bit of a shock to the system! i went to the hostel i had booked into in alice springs and just took one look around and couldn't cope. the internet didn't work, 2 asians who didn't talk were in my room and it was grubby dark and depressing! but you will be glad to hear it all turned around. i decided to get a direct flight over to cairns which is were i am now.  the flight was 3 hrs late but thankfully the flight was only 2 hrs long so not such a hardship. i checked into a small cozy hostel which is full of long term stayers and even met a couple who had been in one of the same hostels i had been in in New Zealand which was cool.  it was in cairns that i did my first scuba dive on the Great Barrier Reef which is definitely a bucket list tick off.




great barrier reef

i've always been told its 'another world' down under the sea and they weren't wrong, it is pretty cool. part of that combined with my fear, utter fear, that i would run out of air made it one of the hardest things i've done.  the guy literally pushed my head under water! and it was incredible but i think it might be a one time thing.  i was far happier snorkling but im glad that i did it and especially on the Great Barrier Reef as well. the water wasn't as clear as i thought it would be but the fish and the coral were outstanding.

next stop was mission beach- jackaroo hostel



set in the jungle with the ocean on your door step mission beach is a little place for relaxation and skydiving.  not much else happens there. but i need spend 2 happy days cycling around the beaches and sweating most of the time! it is beautiful place but not much going on there.

mission beach

Airlie Beach - Nomads Hostel

skipping out townsville and magnetic island i passed on through to airlie beach. there is the gateway to the whitsunday islands and thats pretty much all to do here. i got told by the reception at nomads that apart from getting on your boat and going on your boat trip = drinking was the only other thing to do....!

However, always keen to do new activities i signed up to do some paddle boarding. i haven't ever done this before because it looked a bit boring to be honest and once to grasp how to works it its the most thrilling activity especially when we were just paddling around a marina. saying that mark who ran the club was excellent - loads of local knowledge and interesting things to tell us all. and it was a really chilling afternoon paddling around, then having a break on the shore, you really have to do otherwise you can get sun stroke and then a bit more paddling. very gentle!

paddleboarding

i opted for a day boat trip on a smaller boat because i wanted to be more hands on and hopefully get to helm for a bit! and       i got to helm and we went to a nice little inlet and went snorkling etc. it was nice but i was glad that i only went to 1 day because the sailing was ok but not amazing and the water really wasnt that clear.

whitsundays

also in Airlie beach i was able to meet up with a university friend and have dinner with her.  she is currently working on the boats as a scuba diving instructor and is having a ball. new people every week, great beaches and she is diving for a job which is pretty dam cool.

me and Emily Botsford

after that i got an overnight bus to a place called Agnes Water or 1770 which is called that because in 1770 captain james cook landed the endevour at this place to get fresh water and to explore the waterways.  there wasn't really much to do here but i rented a bike and cycled to 1770 which was really beautiful but boy was it hot!! i have never sweated so much in my life!

1770

so after a relaxing day there i hopped on the bus again and headed down to harvey bay which is one of the most boring places i have ever been! the sea is grey, the town in run down and ugly and the hostel owner at the friendly hostel was the most unfriendly person i have ever met! on a positive note i did meet a really nice dutch girl called rebecca and we became friends and bonded over watching troy - mainly i think because we both think brad pitt is gorgeous! just one night in harvey bay then on to rainbow beach which is one of my favourite beaches.

Rainbow Beach

not sure how i could have a favourite but it is! i did my day trip to Fraser Island from here which was good fun.  i had some fun Canadians on bus who were great. Fraser Island for those of you that don't know is the largest sand island in the world. our bus driver Casey was great fun apart from when we got stuck in the sand for 45 mins and he got really stressed.. none of us minded but he was very stressed and worried.  the whole trip is nice enough.  good bbq lunch, bit of swimming, bit of history. all in all a good day out but i wouldn't have wanted to do a full 3 days 2 nights there.

wild dingo

getting stuck in the sand

so then me and rebecca headed off to noosa for a few days. we went to the australia zoo together and did a great walk around Noosa Heads which was fun.  then we parted and i went canoeing in the everglades for 2 days and she headed down to brisbane. so the camping/canoeing trip was good in theory but i ended up being partnered with this girl who had never been camping or canoeing or really ever been out of her suburb! but as my mother always taught me if you don't have anything nice to say don't say anything at all. so i'm not going to say anything.  but there was some pretty scenery up there and i met a really cool german girl called julia who was so cool. but i was kinda glad to finish the trip.

me and Rebecca

Canoeing in the everglades near Noosa

walk up to the sandy patch - it was actually called that!

then onto brisbane.....i got really excited about being in a city! yes i know that sounds weird but i hadn't been anywhere big in  a while, just small towns so it was really nice to see big buildings and a city smell! i so as soon as i had dumped my bags in my room i headed out to explore . i got my nails done, watched a movie and wandered around the south bank and main cbd area. perfect evening for my 1 night in brisbane.

finally i arrived in Byron Bay.  now everyone always says how cool byron is and i haven't had anyone say anything against byron and it really lives up to that.  its a cool place, loads going on, great cafes, great shops, small town but loads going on and the beach is great, hippy people, great nightlife.  it was here that i met a girl called Nicole from england and we just clicked! i have never known someone who can talk more that i can and for the 3 days that we were hanging out we did not draw breath!

overlooking the beach

Byron lighthouse

Nimbin

countryside around Byron Bay

Had a few days in Byron bay and now in Melbourne and trying to find a job....So that's all the news with me at the moment.

all for now

J xxx